Blue Stars
by Moshi Moshi Mai
Summary: On June 18th, 2006, this story was pronounced dead. Sorry.
1. New Student at Balamb High

A/N-Yah, so you guys must think I was either dead or you want to kill me. SO SORRY! I am starting yet another story! ^^; All these ideas keep on coming into my head and I have so much inspiration and whatnot! I just have to get it out and start a story! This one will most likely be put on hold when I come up with another idea, but rest assured that all these stories will be completed! Don't forget to review at the end of this chapter and tell me what you think, ok? Thanks! ~Moshi Moshi Mai

**..\*~Blue Stars~*/..__**

Chapter One: New Student at Balamb High

                "Balamb High School. I guess this is it…" A girl with raven hair and copper highlights read the sign outside the huge school. She looked up from the sign and observed her new school. It had a weird shape, as if it was a teacup with too much cream. Besides that fact, intricate designs were colorfully drawn on the school, and the lights greeted her warmly.

                 Heaving a sigh, she readjusted her hold on her light blue backpack and walked up the stairs to the front entrance.  She walked towards the front desk where a secretary was busily typing information into one of the many computers. The girl came to a halt in front of the secretary and patiently waited for the young woman to finish typing.

                The brown-haired secretary stopped typing and peered up at the girl with a slightly judgmental stare. Her chocolate brown eyes observed the student quickly before flashing a warm smile. "Hello, how may I help you?" the secretary asked.

                "Er…hi. My name is Rinoa Heartilly. I'm new here, and I need my schedule. Could you type it up for me?" Rinoa asked politely, smiling back. The secretary nodded and typed Rinoa's name into the computer. After a few minutes, a beeping sound emitted from the machine and the secretary handed Rinoa her schedule.

                "There you go, Ms. Heartilly. I thought you looked familiar! You're General Caraway's daughter, are you not?" the secretary asked, unaware of how nosy she was being. Rinoa sighed, nodding.

                "Yah, he's my dad…a lousy one at that," the brunette finished, muttering the last bit quietly.

                "I thought so! Well, welcome to Balamb High School and blah, blah, blah! Sorry, I have to say that at least three times a week!" the secretary and Rinoa shared a smile, "Well, since this is a pretty big school, why don't I show you to your first class? That way you won't be late on your first day." Rinoa grinned and nodded.

                "I'd like that." She could tell that she was going to like this secretary. "By the way, what's your name?"

                The pretty secretary flashed a winning smile and shook Rinoa's hand firmly. "The name's Xu."

//***///***////***/////

                "Hi, cutie!" the smell of cheap perfume invaded Squall Leonhart's nostrils. The girl stood in front of him, batting her clumped eyelashes and neon blue eye shadow. She leaned closer to him, exposing more of her flesh and cleavage. "Want to have fun tonight? Just you and me, baby," the girl said with a lustful stare. The male teenager's ethereal blue eyes narrowed and he turned away, crossing his arms.

                "Go talk to a wall, Euna." Cold, harsh. The girl obviously didn't know when to back down.

                "Aw, come on, baby! I know you want me!" She grabbed his shoulders and leant down to suck on his neck. 

                _I told you to go away._

Snarling, the chestnut-haired man roughly shoved the girl on the chest so that she stumbled back a few paces. "You jerk!" she hissed, breathing heavily. Everyone stared at the girl uninterestedly. It wasn't anything new. Euna Zext always tried to get Squall Leonhart everyday. Even though she knew the outcome everyday, she wouldn't stop pestering the aesthetic stone lion. Along with more than half of the school's female population. 

                _Pathetic.___

                Glaring at nothing in particular, Squall impatiently waited for class to start…only to receive a hearty pat on the back. Well, more like whack. Bemused, the brown-haired man whirled around to come face to face with Zell. 

                "Oh. It's you." 

                Glaring playfully, Zell Dincht punched his aloof friend on the shoulder. "What's **that supposed to mean?" His blue eyes twinkled cheerfully. "I take it Euna came on to you again? Man, that girl is like…er…annoying!" Zell finished lamely, scratching his head sheepishly. **

                "You have such a broad vocabulary," Squall impassively said. The blonde teenager only replied with an annoyed glare and a 'tch' before taking a seat beside his friend.  As soon as the shorter man sat down, the doors opened again and a smirking auburn-haired man with dark violet eyes sauntered into the room, followed by dreamy sighs.

                The teenager strolled over to the two males who were currently rolling their eyes at him. The auburn-haired man tipped his cowboy hat to them, his long ponytail swishing against his dusty trench coat. "G'morning there, fellows," his deep voice echoed throughout the room, making nearby girls swoon. 

                "Goooood morning, Irvine! What's up?" Zell grinned perkily. The cowboy smirked at Zell's demeanor, shaking his head slightly. 

                "Oh, nothing. Just chatting with the ladies," Irvine flashed a handsome smile to a girl who was drooling, causing her to faint. Zell shook his head and frowned slightly.

                "Selphie's gonna be mad." The taller man didn't seem to hear him and winked at another girl. Zell sighed heavily. "Help me, Squall?" Squall only replied with a blank stare, void of any emotion.  A moment of uncomfortable silence passed, and then…

                "WAHHHHHHHHHHH!!!! I'M LATE! I'M GONNA BE LA—OOF! OWWWW!!! OMIGOSH! I'M SOOOO SORRY! WAHH! *mumble mumble* "The class sighed simultaneously and shook their heads. It was like this every morning. Not a minute later, the doors opened again and a flustered up Selphie stumbled into the room, laughing embarrassedly. She walked up to her desk and collapsed, her yellow sundress making a whooshing sound.

                "G'morning, Selph," Irvine chuckled. The doors opened again and the class became still. _Click. Clack. Click. Clack._ The steps were in perfect rhythm as the lady sat herself down in front of the class. Some male students stared at her beauty, drooling. 

                Her piercing light blue eyes scanned the room silently. Sighing softly, she stood up again with a regal posture, her honey blonde tresses gleaming under the bright lights. 

                "Where is he, class?" 

                Even though their instructor was only a year above their age, she had that scarily silent tone with her voice. The students exchanged shrugs with each other. 

                "We don't know, Instructor Trepe." 

                As if on cue, the doors opened with a bang. All gazes were focused on the new arrival entering the room. The person's boots slammed against the ground as they grumpily walked to their desk, glaring at anyone who dared look him in the eye with an emerald fire. His shocking blonde hair reflected angrily off of the beaming lights and his snarl made the students scatter away. The rugged scar slashed between his eyes seemed to be wishing hell upon everyone today. He found his chair and slumped carelessly into it, his infamous gray trench coat billowing softly to the ground, the glaring red crosses sending out a warning to anyone who wanted to make him mad.

                The class was silent, gazes still fixed on the man. Strumming his fingers on his desk, he opened his mouth and yelled for the entire world to hear. 

                "WHAT THE HELL IS YOUR PROBLEM?!" A cluttering of chairs was heard and the students fixed their attention back on the frustrated instructor. Quistis glared at her problematic student.

                "Seifer, see me after class…again," she added as an afterthought. Seifer Almasy's only response to that was slamming his gloved hand onto his desk fiercely, sneering.

                "As you wish, _Instructor."   _

                Quistis sighed, annoyed and faced her class again. "Good morning, class. Today we will be learning about—oh, what now?" The door to the class had opened yet again. A familiar face poked her head inside.

                "Oh! Sorry there, Quistis! I have a new student here! I'm sorry that she's late! I gave her a tour of the school." Xu turned her head around and whispered something to someone. A couple of seconds passed and then Xu faced the classroom again. "Ok, I'll be letting you guys get back to education! Bye!" A couple of muttered 'bye's  escaped from the students and all was silent yet again as they focused on the door.

//***///***////***/////

                "Wow! This is a huge cafeteria!" Rinoa exclaimed as Xu grinned.

                "Yah, that's exactly what I thought when I first came here. You'll get used to it. _Everything here is huge." Xu crossed her arms, muttering something about paperwork. "Well anyways, lastly, there's the training center. Yes, our high school does have a training center. We are famous for being the best at weaponry and limit breaks, naturally, since our school is military…sort of. When you graduate from our high school, you are recommended to go to Balamb Garden to study up on GFs and become SeeD to assassinate sorceresses and whatnot. But I wouldn't go there. Rumor says that the new headmaster isn't very good. It's Mayor Dobe, and you know he's a pacifist. Hyne! I can't believe they kicked out Headmaster Cid! Well, at least he's our headmaster, eh?" Xu finished, laughing slightly. Rinoa just stood there, looking marginally confused._

                The tour ended after Xu had showed her the training center, where a sign was posted up, stating the rules. Rinoa vaguely remembered some of them:

1. You are NOT allowed to come inside these premises without a partner.

2. Students under 16 are NOT allowed to fight high-level monsters. If you should encounter one, run away immediately.

3. Conceal sharp edges with a leather conceal while walking

                She couldn't wait to go in and try it out. Her Shooting Star was a little rusty, but a little workout and she'd be back on track. 

                "Anyways, that's the end of our tour, I'm sorry to say. If you forget where something is, there is a directory in the main hall. If you haven't noticed, there are different colors designating different halls. The cafeteria is red, the training center is green, the infirmary is blue, the quad is purple, etc. etc. Got it?" Rinoa nodded her head vigorously.

                "Thanks again, Xu." Xu nodded and smiled in response, then came to a stop.

                "Well, here's your first class!" Xu opened the door and Rinoa stepped back a little, leaning against the wall. "Oh! Sorry there, Quistis! I have a new student here! I'm sorry that she's late! I gave her a tour of the school."  Xu turned around and smiled at Rinoa. "Are you scared? Don't be, Quistis is a great teacher!" The young secretary winked at Rinoa and the brunette smiled uneasily back.

                "I know. It's just that I get nervous, and I don't really make friends easily…."

                "Bah! You made friends with me the moment we met! Don't worry!" Xu turned back to face the class. "Ok, I'll be letting you guys get back to education! Bye!" Xu turned to Rinoa and pushed her lightly to the door as mumbled words echoed in the waiting classroom. Rinoa watched her friend walk away and faced the doors once more. Taking in a deep breath, she pushed open the doors and slowly walked inside.

A/N-And I'm gonna end it here! I wanna see if you guys like it so far or not. If I get positive feedback, I'll continue this story, k? Thanks! Happy Holidays!

Moshi Moshi Mai


	2. Things About the Past

A/N-WOW! Thanks for all the reviews, guys! Since positive ruled over negative, I guess I'll continue this fic! Yay! ^_^ Thanks for all the people that wished me a happy holiday, also! Also, thanks to everyone that already made this story one of their favorites! I'm so happy!!! Yay! *pumps fist in the air happily* I'm sorry I didn't update like at ALL over Winter break! I typed the story every now and then, but I really had no inspiration! But now that I do, let's get this started with!

**..\*~Blue Stars~*/..**

Chapter Two: Things About the Past

                Rinoa took a deep breath and pushed open the wooden doors. She turned her head to the right and focused her gaze on the teacher, who was staring at her silently. Nervously, she habitually twirled her midnight locks with her right index finger and stammered, "Erm…hello…I'm Rinoa Heartilly…" She trailed off, looking at the class. There were a few disapproving stares, stern military faces looking down at her with looks of utter contempt. Some people exchanged glances with each other, recognizing her name. 

                "Hey, isn't that General Caraway's daughter?"

                "Yeah! What's _she _doing here, the Galbadian scum?"

                "Cry, that's not nice!"

                Rinoa frowned slightly at the hatred in the voice. She looked at the owner of the voice and met icy maroon. The student's face sneered down at her angrily. The girl was quite pretty, if she didn't have such a nasty frown on her face. Her midnight black waist-length tresses contrasted shockingly with her snow-white face. Her hair was fashioned expertly into odangos (it's like pigtails on the top of your head, but it's shaped like a bun and then the rest of your hair is just left flowing down; if you've seen sailor moon, you'll know what I'm talking about) that shifted gracefully as the girl turned her head. 

                _I don't blame her._

                Deciding to ignore the girl known as 'Cry', she continued to look around, and her eyes locked with deep violet. The eyes smiled genuinely with her, the owner tipping his leather hat.

                "Hello, Ms. Heartilly," the man said, winking. Dreamy sighs echoed throughout the room. Rinoa couldn't help it. She rolled her eyes, hearing the gasps of absolute shock escaping the girls' lips. 

                "Ms. Heartilly." Rinoa whirled to face the curt voice. The instructor stared at her and nodded, keeping her piercing ice blue eyes trained on the new student. "Welcome to Balamb High School. Show me your schedule, please." Hesitantly, the brunette rummaged around her short's pockets, her pale fingers lightly brushing against her light blue duster. She finally found it and handed the slim piece of paper to the blonde instructor. 

                Quistis took the offered paper and stared at it for a few seconds. Looking up, she voiced her question to the class, "Who has GF Theory next period?" A show of hands was raised. "Is anyone willing to help Ms. Heartilly to her next class?" Some hands went down. 

                "Oooh! Ooh! Pick me! Pick me!" Rinoa turned her head curiously in the direction of the voice. It belonged to a short brunette with a yellow sundress, her brightly insane green eyes dancing, and her sunburned curls defying gravity. Quistis shook her head, smiling slightly, her lips twitching.

                "Ok, Selphie." She turned to Rinoa, "Ms. Heartilly, this is Selphie Tilmitt. She will be showing you to your next class. Go ahead and take a seat next to her." Nodding, Rinoa smiled as Selphie grinned and waved at the new student. 

_This might not be so bad after all._

_//***///***////***/////***_

                "Ok, I'll be letting you guys get back to education! Bye!" Squall rolled his eyes as the secretary chirped her goodbye. A nudge on his side distracted him. Glaring at the martial artist, the stone lion hissed.

                "What?"

                "We have a new student! I wonder who it could be..." Zell replied, curiously leaning forward towards the doors, as if he might see the new student. Irvine nodded as well, leaning back into his seat and lazily draping his right arm around Selphie's small shoulders.

                "It's probably a beautiful woman," the cowboy snickered, receiving an angry smack on his arm from his irritated girlfriend. "What?" The doors opened slowly as Irvine and Selphie continued to bicker. A girl no taller than 5'4" entered the room. Her shoulder-length raven hair flowed freely past her shoulders, the highlights on her hair framing her pale face. She was wearing a light blue duster that covered a black tank top, a dark blue buttoned denim skirt, and black shorts with zippers beneath the skirt. Said girl timidly walked into the room, her brown eyes nervously darting around, and her black boots smacking lightly against the hard floor. She started to play with her hair worriedly and then stammered,

                "Erm…hello…I'm Rinoa Heartilly…" She looked around the class hopefully, her slight smile faltering. Her dark eyes roamed silently area, a small frown marring her features as whispers erupted around the classroom. Then her eyes stopped completely on Irvine. Squall had to keep himself from rolling his eyes as the sniper smirked slightly.

                "Hello, Ms. Heartilly," he winked at her. And so came the dreamy sighs. Everyone was quite taken aback when the young woman seemed unfazed by the gesture and rolled her rich brown eyes. Her attention was diverted when the instructor spoke, Quistis' crisp voice containing a slightly icy edge.

                "Ms. Heartilly." The pale girl faced Quistis and they talked quietly for a few minutes. Squall smirked slightly as he listened to Irvine fuming, his mauve eyes flaming.

                "How can she possibly resist someone as hot as me? Not to sound conceited…" Irvine said quite vainly. Zell rolled his eyes and exchanged a sarcastic look with Squall.

                "No, Irvine, you don't sound conceited at all. And only, I _don't_ mean that." Zell received a rough shove from his irate friend, chuckling and shaking his head. After a while, Quistis faced her class, looking slightly annoyed.

                "Is anyone willing to help Ms. Heartilly to her next class?" Squall watched silently as quite a number of hands withdrew from the air, the female majority of the class giving Rinoa disapproving glares. Selphie sighed angrily.

                "These people are so mean!" Without a second of doubt, the short brunette started to frantically wave her right hand in the air, smiling brightly. "Oooh! Ooh! Pick me! Pick me!"  The new student turned to face Selphie, a small smile twitching the corners of her lips. 

                "Ok, Selphie." Quistis smiled slightly. "Ms. Heartilly, this is Selphie Tilmitt. She will be showing you to your next class. Go ahead and take a seat next to her." Rinoa nodded and shyly approached Selphie as the shorter brunette grinned and waved eagerly.              

                "Hi," Rinoa sat down on an empty seat on Selphie's right, placing her backpack on the ground with a small _thud. "I'm Rinoa. Rinoa Heartilly." Selphie smiled and nodded, winking at the brunette next to her._

                "My name's Selphie Tilmitt, as Instructor Trepe already said! Welcome to Balamb High School! So you have GF Theory next, huh? That class is so lame! I don't know why they have that stupid class! To add to that, the teacher for our next class is named Mr. Stodgy. Can you believe that?!" Rinoa stifled a giggle, her eyes crinkling at the corners. The auburn-haired teenager who had winked at her earlier leaned next to Selphie, flashing a warm smile.

                "And I'm Irvine Kinneas. Selphie's boyfriend." He stretched out his right hand, which was covered by a brown leather glove that cut off around his knuckles, showing his fingers. Rinoa hesitantly shook the sharpshooter's hand, eying him suspiciously. "Now that we've been acquainted, I'd like to know why you---" Irvine was interrupted by another deep voice.

                "Hi! I'm Zell Dincht!" The blonde man grinned happily at the new arrival, waving from his seat beside Squall, and totally ignoring Irvine's scathing look. Rinoa waved shyly in his direction. _Wow, I'm making more friends already…_She noticed a lone figure clad in a dark outfit sitting next to Zell. She leaned her head to the side, getting a better look. Turning towards Selphie, her questioning brown eyes darted quickly towards the impassive teenager.

                "Hey, Selphie…Who's that?" Selphie looked confused for a while before focusing her gaze on Squall, muttering an "Ooh!" 

                "That's Squall Leonhart. He doesn't talk much, except to me, Irvine, and Zell. But that's because he has to send orders to us because he's the leader of--" Selphie cut off when Irvine sent her a reprimanding stare.

                "Hm? He's the leader of what?"

                "Oh, nothing." Rinoa decided to let it pass. _I'll just have to pry it out of her later. _She curiously stared at Squall, squinting slightly. 

                "You know…he looks really familiar…" She eyed his unruly brown locks which rebelliously framed his stony face. His deep blue eyes seemed to form a violent maelstrom, a nearly invisible white mist swirling softly in his dark orbs. A deep scowl added the effect to his handsome features, and his studded left ear shone ominously under the light's glow. Lastly, a scar was slashed between his eyes, making him look all the more dangerous. After a couple of seconds, Rinoa happily snapped her fingers, "I knew it! He looks almost like the President of Esthar, Laguna Loire!" Selphie nodded with vigor, grinning.

                "Yah! Don't you read the news? He's the president's son! Duh!" 

                "Really? Then why's his last name Leonhart…?"

                "Oh, well…" Selphie leaned in closer, darting a quick glance towards the front of the room. Seeing that their instructor was not glaring daggers at them, she whispered, "His mother, Raine Leonhart, died when she gave birth to him. Squall doesn't really get along with his father for personal reasons, so he took his late mother's maiden's name," the perky brunette said. A deep feeling of empathy squeezed painfully around Rinoa's heart.

                "I know how he feels…" she muttered quietly, hanging her head down. Her bangs shadowed her porcelain face, her expression unreadable. Selphie shifted slightly in her seat, peering down concernedly at her new friend.

                "Oh. Does that have to do with you having a different last name than your father? Hey, are you ok…?" Rinoa faced her friend suddenly, smiling sadly.

                "Yeah, I'm fine."

                "Ladies! Please pay attention!" Quistis' voice reached the two women's ears and they both muttered an apology, focusing their attention on the blackboard. As the lesson continued, Rinoa couldn't help but think of the memory that had come back to her from Selphie's words. _Does that have to do with you having a different last name than your father?_

Flashback….

                _Three year old Rinoa Caraway giggled as her mother tickled her, her brown eyes shining with happiness._

_                "Happy birthday, Rinoa! What would my little darling like for her birthday?" Julia asked, cuddling her young daughter. Rinoa grinned and sat up in her mother's lap, clapping her hands giddily._

_                "I want a horsey! I wanna ride it through the meadows, and I wanna make friends with it, and I'd like it to be shiny and black! Hee-hee! Would yoo get that fwo me?" Julia laughed, tucking a stray strand of midnight hair behind Rinoa's left ear._

_                "We'll have to see about that," Julia said softly, kissing her daughter's forehead. _

_                "Absolutely not." Both females turned towards the sound of the stern voice. General Caraway marched into the parlor, a deep frown etching his features. Rinoa sniffled slightly, tugging on her mother's sleeve._

_                "Mommy…?" Tears started to seep slowly out of her chocolate eyes, and she wiped them away fiercely, shaking her small head. "Why's daddy so mean…?" she whispered quietly. _

_                "Julia. I'd like to have a word with you." _

_                Julia smiled and hugged Rinoa tightly for a brief second before letting her go. "I'll be right back, darling. Don't worry." The slim woman stood up from the window seat and walked towards her husband, who was still frowning. As Julia walked out of the room, he faced Rinoa._

_                "Don't dream big, Rinoa." Without looking back to see his daughter's sad face, he turned around and left the room, his boots clicking heavily. Rinoa curled into a little ball and leaned against the window, crying quietly._

_                "I hate yoo, daddy…" _

_                She could hear her parents fighting. Rinoa squeezed her eyes tightly, as if the sound of her mother's protests would be blocked out. The door slammed loudly and the sound of a car screeching out of the driveway echoed in Rinoa's ears. Her blood turned to ice and she suddenly felt cold._

_                "Mommy…?!" A moment later, her father entered the parlor, his eyes cold._

_                "Get up and go to your room."_

_                "Where's Mommy going?"_

_                "That's none of your concern. Now go." Rinoa silently slid off of the window cushion. As she walked past her impassive father, she whispered softly, so softly that Caraway almost couldn't hear it._

_                "I hate yoo." She then fled to her bedroom. Caraway's pained look went unnoticed. Rinoa landed on her bed. She grabbed a pink lacy pillow that her mother had made for her and sobbed into it. "Why'd yoo leave me, Mommy?" She fell asleep, her crystal tears staining her pale face.  _

_                When she woke up, it was dark. She could hear voices downstairs. Curiously, she walked down the spiral staircase where her father was talking silently with someone at the door. The messenger was wearing an outfit with the Deling Hospital emblem on it. Rinoa's heart clenched fearfully. _

_                "Daddy…? What's goin' on?" she tugged on her father's sleeve, peering up at him with her worried brown eyes. The messenger looked down at the little girl and his eyes turned sad._

_                "Miss Caraway. We regret to inform you that your mother was involved in a car accident…" And Rinoa didn't hear the rest of the words. After the explanation, Rinoa and her father rushed to the hospital, where Julia lay dying._

_                "General Caraway, sir." Caraway stood up quickly from his sitting position in the waiting room. Rinoa looked up from her curled position on the floor, her eyes watery and panicked. The doctor sighed deeply. He checked his clipboard, as if to distract him from looking at the worried man's eyes. "Your wife is suffering from a severe concussion. When she and the other driver collided, she must have tried to swerve out of the way, and that resulted in her car being turned over. She also has a broken neck, and if she survives, she will be paralyzed from the neck down. Lastly, a huge shard of glass embedded itself into her abdomen during the crash, and it's causing internal bleeding and some damaged organs. She's in critical condition." Caraway sat back down in his seat, his hands covering his face as he started to shake violently. _

_                Rinoa looked over at her father. This man, who was so strong, who never shed a tear when his men died during war, who never showed any emotion, was sobbing silently in the red chair. She walked quietly over to her father, patting him awkwardly on the back._

_                "Mommy's going to be otay, right?" _

Flash to the ocean, where a funeral is taking place…

                _The sun shone brightly in the cloudless blue sky, its rays gleaming proudly on the lush green grass. Colorful petals floated gracefully around the area, decorating everyone's hair. Today seemed too happy for what was taking place. Everyone was clothed in black. Some women were sobbing uncontrollably and a priest was talking about her _life. As if he knew her. Rinoa frowned angrily as the priest took a vase and threw ashes into the ocean, muttering an ancient chant as he did so. What gave him the right? The three year old was void of any tears today. She remembered her mother's words as she lay dying on her bed, her body weak, and her breath heavy.__

_                "Don't cry, Rinoa. Be strong for me. I want to see you smiling when I die, and I want to see your beautiful smile when they throw my ashes into the sea. Don't forget that I'll be watching over you in the sky, ok?" Rinoa sniffled and managed a small smile, grasping her mother's pale hand._

_                "Don't say that, Mommy!" _

_                "Listen to me, darling. I already feel my life flashing before me…" Julia chuckled bitterly and kissed her daughter's hand, "Remember that everyday is a gift, and to always smile with your heart…" Julia held Rinoa's hand tighter, her eyes slowly fluttering close. "Don't forget that Mommy loves…" Julia's breathing suddenly stopped. Rinoa could feel her blood run cold. She stood up from her chair quickly, looking down at her mother._

_                "Mommy? Mommy?! Mommy, wake up! You can't leave me, Mommy…Look, I'm still smiling! Open your eyes…please?" The young girl shook her mother's body gently. Tears slipped out of her eyes as she continued to smile._

_                Rinoa sucked in a deep breath as the last of the ashes were thrown into the sea. The funeral was already over. Caraway walked over to his daughter. _

_                "Let's go." Rinoa looked up at her father coldly._

_                "It's your fault Mommy's dead. I can't fwogive yoo."_

End flashback

                After that day, Rinoa had changed her last name to Heartilly, Julia's maiden name. She became distant with her father, and had been very rebellious throughout her preteen years and still now. Sighing, she checked the clock in the front of the room. Two minutes to go. She chanced a quick glance at Squall, wondering how he had dealt with his mother's death, and then stared at the scar slashed between his eyes. _I wonder where he got that from…? _

                Suddenly the taciturn teenager tensed as he felt someone's eyes on him and he turned his head to face Rinoa, his dark blue eyes narrowing to slits. Embarrassed at being caught red-handed staring, she quickly turned away as she felt her cheeks flame. _Nice going, Rinoa. Ah, what do I care? _

The bell rang, signaling the end of class. As the students rushed to the door, Quistis' voice boomed over their animated chattering. 

                "Remember that your essays are due Thursday!" Groans were her only reply. Standing up, Selphie kissed her boyfriend good bye, waved to Zell and Squall, and turned to Rinoa.

                "C'mon, let's go!" Nodding, Rinoa took her own backpack and together they entered the busy and loud hallway, disappearing among the crowd. 

A/N-HYNE! I finally finished Final Fantasy VIII on 12/29/03! I'm so damn proud of myself! The battle with Ultimecia wasn't as hard as most people said it was, but it does take some time! And when Squall smiled in the end, it was so cute! I was squealing my ass off! YAY! And Zell choking was the highlight of the ending! *laughs* Well, I just wanted to share that with you guys! Besides that, I'm sorry that I didn't update at all during the break! I had to practice my clarinet for the Korean Variations Folk Song thing my band has to do in March…*cough* Well, I hope you enjoyed this chapter! Please review! Also, do you think I'm going too fast? Tell me tell me TELL ME!!! And I'm sorry about the ending to this chapter! It really sucks, but ah well! 


	3. Catch Me

A/N-Yay! Thanks for all the reviews, guys! I'm really happy with the progress! I hope that this story reaches 100! Tee-hee! Sorry I haven't updated since forever! I haven't had much inspiration for this story, or for the game. Oh, and you guys wanted Squinoa action, you're getting it! Well, not much else to say, so let's get this story on with!

**..Blue Stars/..**

Chapter Three: Catch Me

                As soon as the two friends entered the busy hallway full of effervescent students, Selphie turned towards Rinoa and began chattering incessantly, as if the two had been friends since forever.

                "So let me tell you the basics around here, Rinny! Oh, cool! I just called you Rinny! Hey, that sounds way cooler than Rinoa! It's more fun and vivacious! How about it?! Ok, anyway, couples around here are me and Irvy--duh!—Zell and Rikki, Morton and Krissie, Shozen and Kara, Kevin and Vanesa—they're the cutest couple!—Aaron and Erin…" As the hyperactive brunette continued to chatter, Rinoa decided to zone out, walking towards her locker. She twisted the dial, concentrating slightly as she hastily reminded herself of the numbers. _25…10…36…Open! Damn! _She mentally cursed as she pushed the lever, getting no response. _I'm sure I did it right…_She tried the lock again, getting the same result. Noticing Rinoa's frustration, Selphie stopped midway on her conservation about the rumor about Erick Opal cheating on Crista Carsa for Ericka Christen and grinned. "Here, this is what you do when your locker gets jammed."

                The short brunette banged lightly on the locker twice and twisted the lock back and forth. Then she stepped back and waited patiently, muttering, "1…2…3…" before kicking the wall next to the locker. And miraculously, Rinoa's locker opened, a couple of thick books falling to the floor.

                "Uh…thanks?"

                 "No problem!"

                Groaning down at the heap of books on the ground, Rinoa kneeled down, muttering incoherent things, and picked up the fallen objects, roughly shoving the material back into her locker. She quickly took out her needed things for the next three periods and slammed the door shut before the books decided to fall again. Selphie watched amusedly, waggling her right index finger in front of Rinoa's face.

                "Tsk, tsk, Rinny! You should be more organized! Tee-hee!" Selphie smiled lightly, walking forward. Rinoa rolled her eyes and grinned sheepishly.

                "I've always been like that! I can't keep anything organized, even if my life depends on it!" Rinoa flipped back her raven hair casually before standing up and readjusting her hold on her blue backpack, joining Selphie. The two friends walked quickly to their next class, the dreaded GF Theory.

                As Rinoa stepped over the threshold and got a good look at the class, she could see why everyone seemed to dread the class. The walls were plain white, lacking variety and color. The blackboard consisted of the class schedule, which was neatly written with chalk. Everything was perfect and orderly, which only made it more imperfect. The teacher himself wasn't much of a show. He was a plump man around his mid-forties, his black-rimmed glasses hanging loosely from its position around his neck. He was wearing a white collared shirt with navy blue trousers that were held together with suspenders of the same color. The bell decided to ring at that moment and the two brunettes quickly took two seats in the back of the class as the teacher took out a clipboard and started roll call.

                "Jakk Armsbury…"

_                Hyne, his voice is boring! I feel sleepy! _Rinoa thought as the teacher droned down the list, checking absence once in a while. His voice paused for a fugitive minute before he looked up at his class, his beady brown eyes roaming over his students.

                "Rinoa….Rinoa Heartilly…" he mumbled quietly.

                "I'm over here," Rinoa raised her hand politely, trying to stifle a yawn. The man stared at her for a while, as if contemplating the meaning of her name. After a few uncomfortable seconds, the teacher looked back down at his clipboard and resumed his tedious roll call. And so came the sudden eruption of whispers. Rinoa started to grow agitated, and she futilely tried to block out some of the cruel remarks.

                "Ignore them." Surprised by the sudden deep voice, Rinoa jerked toward the direction of the voice, and her eyes landed on a blonde teenager with stunning emerald eyes. He smirked in her direction and Rinoa smiled back.

                "Uh…thanks." The teenager shrugged nonchalantly and turned back towards the front, masking a face of indifference and utter boredom. The raven-haired teenager turned to face Selphie to see that her face had suddenly turned pale, her green eyes widening marginally. "Selphie? What's wrong?"

                "…He…he…_talked_ to you."

                "Um…'he' who? And what's wrong with 'him' talking to me?" Rinoa asked, confused. Selphie shook her head as if ridding herself of a bad case of dandruff and frowned at Rinoa.

                "That guy you just talked to is Seifer Almasy. Not actually a fun guy to hang around. Doesn't talk to anyone else besides his posse consisting of Fujin and Raijin."

                "Oh really?" Rinoa raised an eyebrow and turned to face the young man again, giving him a once-over. "He looks fine to me." The only reply she received was a strange look directed at Seifer. _I wonder what that's all about._ Deciding that it didn't really matter to her, she placed her chin in the palm of her right hand, hoping that she didn't fall asleep in class. The time passed by without incident. The guy named Seifer didn't say anything else and Selphie had already fallen asleep in her textbook so Rinoa had nothing to do.

                Thankfully, the bell rang and Rinoa stood up, stretching her sore muscles. Swinging on her backpack, the brunette nudged her friend awake, smiling slightly. Dazedly, Selphie blinked away the dizzy spell taking over her, mumbling strange things.

                "Selphie, the bell rang," Rinoa spoke lightly, trying to contain a laugh.

                "Oh…thanks for waking me up," she muttered, standing up slowly, "Did I miss anything?"  
  
                "Oh, well, our homework is to write a theory in essay form on how the GF Shiva was created. It has to be double-spaced and four pages long, due Wednesday." The shorter brunette frowned cutely, glaring daggers at the teacher who had his back turned to the ladies. "Umm…Selphie?"

                "Hmm? Oh, yeah, class. That's right. What do ya have next?"

                "Lunch."

                "Oh! You're so lucky! Lunch right after second period! Man, I don't have it until after fourth!" Rinoa felt a sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach. That meant she'd be all alone in the cafeteria. Seeing the disappointed look in her friend's eyes, Selphie smiled reassuringly. "Don't worry, Rinny! You remember Zell, right? He has lunch with you, and so does Squall and Quistis."

                "Quistis? Who's that?"

                "Duh, Rinny! Our first period teacher!" Surprised, Rinoa tilted her head to the side.

                "You guys…call Ms. Trepe by her first name?"

                "Well, yeah. She _is_ our friend. She's only a year older than us, and before that she used to be a student just like us. She just became an instructor three years ago when she was fifteen."

                "Wow! That's amazing!" Rinoa exclaimed, extremely impressed. Selphie happily nodded in agreement, walking down the hall.

                "Well this is the cafeteria! Let's compare schedules before I go." Selphie grabbed the Rinoa's schedule and darted her green eyes back and forth between the two papers. "Aha! I have fifth and seventh with you! Booyaka!" Rinoa laughed at her friend's energy and waved goodbye to her as she pushed open the double doors.

                And collided with someone.

                "Wah!" Surprised, Rinoa fell back onto the ground, tightly closing her eyes as she waited for herself to gracelessly crash onto the hard ground. A gloved hand came out and reached for her outstretched hand, hoisting her back up.

                "You ok?"

                The deep and slightly concerned voice made her open her eyes and she met blue-grey. His silky chestnut hair shadowed his frowning face and he silently awaited her reply.

                "Hey, it's you!" _How intelligent. _The teenager's eyebrow shot up, questioning. She winced at herself and pulled back her hand, scratching her head sheepishly. "Yeah, I'm fine. Umm, thanks."  Squall shrugged, looking away.

                "Whatever." Without another word, he walked away, leaving her staring after him.

A/N-I'm so sorry I didn't update since like forever! I've had no inspiration, and I've been focusing on another story, so I apologize profusely!  I hope this chapter is ok for you guys! I know it's kinda short, so I'll try making it longer next time.  I'll try updating way faster since it's summertime, but I can't guarantee it! I seriously need inspiration. sigh So make this authoress happy and review, yes? Tee-hee!

Mai


	4. Hello

A/N-Hey guys! Wow, thanks for the reviews once more! Sorry I haven't been updating. I haven't replayed the game recently therefore my muses have been away on vacation for the past few months. I'm hoping no one has given up on this because I really want to finish this project. I'm still not sure about the plot; it may change depending on how I'm feeling. I'm back, though I'm not sure when I'll be updating…I don't want my chapters to be just plain crap so I won't update unless I'm satisfied…

**Blue stars**

Chapter Four: Hello

Rinoa sighed as she watched the retreating figure turn the corner and disappear. "That was real smooth, Rin," she muttered to herself. Collecting herself, she pushed the red double doors to the cafeteria and looked around. The cafeteria was huge. There were at least twenty cart lines to choose from, each with their own enticing smell. The walls had a strictly military design, with the SeeD emblem as a mural on one side. Laughter, shouting, and many other loud noises echoed throughout the spacious area, and Rinoa awkwardly looked around for a familiar face.

"Ms. Heartilly." Cool, calm, and collected. Rinoa quietly observed her first period teacher up close. She was an astonishingly beautiful woman. The way she held herself with dignified grace without even looking like she was trying, the way her light blue eyes were misty and cold, and then way her honey blonde hair was styled made her look more mature than her eighteen years. It was almost hard to believe this woman was just a year above her. Rinoa snapped out of her thoughts as Quistis seemed to be waiting for a reply.

"Oh, hi Ms. Trepe." Rinoa offered a smile. "I hear you're good friends with Selphie…I had no idea you were so young!" Rinoa blurted out, earning a mildly surprised expression from her instructor.

"Yes…I've known Selphie for…a long time," Quistis spoke slowly, cupping her chin thoughtfully with a gloved hand. "But anyway, how are you enjoying your first day here?"

"Oh, it's alright I guess. I just wish my father hadn't sent me to a military school…no offense or anything, Ms. Trepe." At this the blonde woman merely sent her a faint smile, lowering her arm.

"It's quite alright. Call me Quistis. Hearing people call me Ms. Trepe makes me feel like an old hag," Quistis joked, sharing a laugh with Rinoa. Rinoa started to feel relaxed around Quistis, already admiring and taking a liking to her.

"Would you like to eat lunch with us? It's just going to be Zell and I, though. Squall left early because…" Quistis stopped herself short, shaking her head. "Never mind about that."

"Squall? Oh you mean the guy in the leather jacket? Yeah I saw him on my way in. I kinda fell and he caught me. I'm such a klutz!" Quistis observed Rinoa thoughtfully, a small quirk of her pink lips appearing. They made their way to a round red table near the Balamb Garden mural where a tattooed teenager was inhaling hotdogs. Quistis didn't seem to be in the least bit shocked at his behavior. She merely sat across from him and motioned for Rinoa to sit next to her.

"Does he eat like this everyday?" She whispered, never taking her brown eyes off of the martial artist. Quistis acknowledged her question with an incline of her head, starting on her lunch. The subject of Rinoa's question lifted his head from the plates on the table, a wide grin appearing on his face.

"Hey! It's you! Rinoa right? Remember me? I'm Zell! Zell Dincht!" Zell offered energetically between mouthfuls, reaching over to quickly shake her hand before continuing on his nth hotdog. After gulping it down he continued his speech, stuffing another into his mouth, "And don't worry about ol' Quistis over here. She may be boring and all but it's not her fault!" His grin continued to widen as Quistis glared quietly at him. Rinoa expected her to whack him over the head, but instead her instructor opted to say, "Don't talk with your mouth full, Zell. It's gross."

Zell replied by laughing out loud, and Rinoa had to cover her mouth so Quistis wouldn't notice that she was trying not to smile. His chuckling soon dissolved into fits of choking and he frantically started to bang the table. Quistis rolled her eyes and stood up, walking over to his side and jamming her elbow into his back, and in the next instant the remnants of the hotdog flew from his mouth back onto the plate. Rinoa guessed it must have taken Quistis months if not years of practice for one single hit to release the hotdog from Zell's throat.

Rinoa watched the whole scene play out in front of her, and decided that her life was going to get much more interesting from here on out.

**…..**

Third and fourth period passed by quickly enough. Rinoa was glad that Zell was in her third period, which happened to be Combat III: Defense and Offense. He was the comical relief in the class, entertaining everyone and leaving the students and even the instructor in high spirits, smiles on their faces. Although he acted the part of an idiot sometimes, he proved to be quite a character as Rinoa soon realized when the teacher passed back the test grades and commended Zell for making the highest mark in class yet again. He was also an exceptional fighter. When class was halfway through, they made their way to the Training Area and paired up in partners. When the two encountered a high-level monster, he disposed of it quickly with his gloves, which he called Ehrgeiz.

"That was amazing, Zell!" Rinoa exclaimed as he delivered a single blow to the creature and it crumpled to the floor, leaving a Hi-Potion behind. Zell grinned and picked up the item, tossing it over to her.

"Nah, that was nothing!" The brunette laughed, catching the potion and pocketing it and followed him deeper into the brush, where they encountered another high-level monster, this time a Marlboro. "Oh, we better be careful with this one. Watch out for its Bad Breath. You should fight this time; I'll back you up if you need help." Rinoa nodded and got into a fighting stance, readying her blaster edge, the Shooting Star. The weapon was beautifully made, yellow pinwheel intricately designed. It covered her whole forearm and gleamed dangerously, sharp points shining warningly.

"Wow, that's a nice weapon you have. It looks custom-made!" Zell's voice came from behind her, whistling. Rinoa laughed and nodded, running full speed toward the Marlboro.

"It is. My friend, Zone, taught me how to fight when I was seven and I made it myself with Watts' help. It took a long time, but it was worth it" As she was speaking, she released the pinwheel with a grunt. It spun in the air and boomeranged towards its chosen target, ripping into the green monster savagely. She swiftly dodged as a tentacle came flying at her, casting Firaga and using the distraction to send another attack at the Marlboro. In a matter of seconds the monster collapsed, withering away and leaving behind some Steel Pipes. It never had a chance to attack her with Bad Breath. It hadn't stood a chance.

Rinoa walked over and calmly picked them up, not a scratch on her body, and turned around to face a surprised Zell.

"WHOA! That…that was…WHOA!" the martial artist stuttered, speechless. Rinoa offered a giggle, standing in front of him.

"Not too shabby I hope?" She grinned as his eyes widened. After that the easy grin was back on his face.

"You're a regular! You know, I'd like to battle you for fun someday! Oh man, it'd be awesome!" As the blonde man continued to rave, Rinoa smiled cheerfully, glad that he accepted her fighting skills. They continued on and fought side by side until their instructor called them back to the front, where class was dismissed. Seeing that Zell had a different fourth period than her, they said goodbye and parted ways, promising to be partners next time they were scheduled for the Training Area.

**…..**

As Rinoa walked over the threshold into fourth period, she didn't recognize a single face. She stopped at the door, feeling disappointed.

"Are you going to move or what?" A familiar male voice. Rinoa whirled around, chocolate eyes widening as she recognized that face that she already forgot the name of. She was never good at remembering names away. The boy smirked upon seeing her reaction, reading her like a book.

"It's Seifer."

"O-Oh, I'm Rinoa…I'm sorry I forgot your name," Rinoa replied, feeling more and more stupid as the words flowed from her mouth. Seifer chuckled and shook his head and Rinoa's stomach did flips. She noticed the scar slashed across his eyes and she frowned internally. Where had she seen that scar before?

"You're a strange girl." He gently moved her aside with a black gloved hand and sauntered over to his desk at the back of the room. Rinoa noticed the looks students were giving him, some of them angry, most of them fearful. She didn't understand it. Seifer Almasy didn't seem like that bad of a guy.

"You're blocking the way." Not again! The brunette sighed, and turned around to apologize _again_ when she froze, mouth parted slightly. Cold grey eyes, tousled chestnut hair, and a slight downward turn of the lips.

"Squall…" she breathed. Again he regarded her with a raise of the brow, and again she felt like an idiot. He didn't even know her! Why was she acting like that? Of course he was looking at her like that! He thought she was a moron. "Hello! I mean uh, hi, I'm Rinoa Heartilly." No reply. "Heh, sorry, that sounded dumb, didn't it?"

"….."

"You just want to get to your seat, don't you?"

A stare. A pause. A nod.

"Sorry for being in the way," she replied, moving aside. He shrugged carelessly and walked into the class, taking a seat in the back like Seifer had, five seats away from the blonde man. It was then that she noticed their resemblance. Both had similar scowls on their faces-they obviously didn't want to be here-and both had the dangerous aura reverberating around them, and they both had…

"Scars," she whispered to herself, eyeing the mark between their eyes. The bell rang, signaling the beginning of class and Rinoa was the only one not in her seat. Everyone was looking at her like she was crazy. Fighting down an embarrassed blush she hurried to an empty seat, which was the only empty seat, which was situated in the back, which was right next to Squall. She didn't take the chance to glance at him as she slipped into her seat, feeling her face cool down. What class was this anyway? She hadn't taken the time to check.

"Welcome to Statistics Honors, I'm Mr. Freeman, but you can just call me Vincent." Rinoa's eyes bulged. What was she doing in an honors college course class! Rinoa hated math with a passion. Now she hated her father with an equal if not even stronger passion as she realized he had placed her in this Hyne-foresaken class. The teacher was pretty young compared to the rest of the instructors at Balamb High. He looked no more than twenty-six. His jet black hair was groomed neatly and stereotypically he had wire-rim glasses, a white collared shirt under a knitted vest, and beige slacks on. He seemed nice enough though as his green eyes surveyed the classroom amiably.

"I trust you're all here today so let's begin! I'm sorry to say you'll be having homework tonight on the first day back, but hey, that's why you're in an honors class right?" he chirped up. Silence. Vincent sighed inwardly and turned around to face the chalkboard, keeping the cheerful mask on.

As the class began writing down notes, Rinoa took out a pencil and paper and jotted down whatever the teacher was writing, having no clue what was going on. Her best bet was that she'd have to ask Quistis for help, seeing how the eighteen year old was a prodigy. Thumping the pencil against the notebook paper, she started to zone out, hoping class would end soon so she'd see Selphie next period.

"Ms. Heartilly?" Rinoa looked at the front of the class, seeing Vincent staring up at her patiently. How long had she been daydreaming anyway? "Ms. Heartilly, I asked you a question."

_ Oh no! _Her mind screamed. She hadn't been paying attention, and now here she was, facing the consequences as everyone stared at her as she slowly sank into her seat.

"XY to the sixth power over two times the square root of a hundred plus seventy-nine." Rinoa looked to her left to the source of the voice, surprised to see Squall whispering the answer to her. She shakily replied the answer, to which Mr. Freeman grinned and clapped, writing her answer down on the board.

"Excellent, Ms. Heartilly! You kids will be needing to ask her for tutoring if you want!" he happily spoke. Rinoa wanted to laugh out loud and sarcastically but decided against it. She glanced over at Squall who had his chin resting in the palm of his right hand. Without moving he stared back at her. She could swear she saw a glint of amusement in his eyes before the emotionless façade clamped back on.

"Thanks," she whispered, smiling. He inclined his head and she took it as an "You're welcome."

A/N-YAY! UPDATE! YAY YAY YAY! Ok well I was slightly inspired, heh! I hope this was ok! Please review! I need to make sure you guys are still here and not standing somewhere with pitchforks and steak knives…Hehe!

Moshi Moshi Mai


	5. Thank You, Thank Me

A/N- _slowly comes out from behind a curtain_ Why hello there! I'm sorry it took so long to load this fifth chapter up; I haven't gotten into FFVIII for a while since I finished it so sorry! Thank you for those patient enough not to pressure me into updating! Now let's get a move on, shall we?

**.:Blue Stars:.**

Chapter Five: Thank you, Thank me

_I don't remember sighing so many times in one period!_ Rinoa thought to herself, twirling her mechanical pencil with her fingers. Her eyes watched the blended colors of blue and white mix, dizzying herself for mere entertainment. She glanced out of the corner of her eye at the ticking clock and almost screamed. _I've been at this for only two minutes!_ She stopped her finger exercise and planted the pencil back on the desk. It made an imprint. A light bulb blinked in her mind and she smiled internally. She moved her pencil forward. Now there was a line on her desk!

Mr. Freeman was talking on and on about some subject, and she knew she'd be berating herself later for not listening, but at the moment, doodling on her desk was much more enticing. She didn't know what she was drawing yet, but when she had finished her small task, a grin blasted across her youthful face. It was a picture of Mr. Freeman choking on a Statistics paper, his glasses hanging crookedly off his nose and Rinoa standing nearby pointing and laughing animatedly. Oh, sometimes being cruel had its pluses.

After staring in admiration of her creation for a few moments, she started erasing it, her previous enthusiasm slowly dissipating as she wondered what she could do next to pass the time. Something softly hit the side of her head and fell onto her desk. Rinoa blinked and looked down before reaching for the offending object. It was a paper ball. Slowly, the brunette turned her head and faced the direction in which the object had been thrown. Her confused expression turned into a faint blush when she saw the perpetrator.

Seifer Almasy mock-saluted General Caraway's daughter with two fingers, a smirk plastered on his handsome face. His emerald eyes stared at her, amused, as she managed a shy smile and mouthed a 'What was that for?'. He replied by pointing at the paper ball, making a hand gesture to unfold it. Doing as he gestured, Rinoa pulled at the ball and smoothed out the wrinkles to read his small yet neat handwriting.

_You look bored. _

Rinoa couldn't help but let a small giggle escape her. She looked back up at him. He was crossing his arms nonchalantly, waiting for her to reply. Taking her blue and white pencil, the chocolate-eyed girl scribbled onto it and after taking a quick glance at Mr. Freeman, tossed the ball into the air. Her aim was dead on. It smacked Seifer on the nose and he fumbled for it, rubbing the skin childishly as the paper crinkled in his gloved hand. Rinoa clapped a slender hand over her mouth and waved the other one in apology, controlling her laughter. When she had thrown the ball and it had hit the blonde man, he had had an absolutely adorable surprised look on his face for a second.

Seifer stuck his tongue out at her and turned back forward in his seat to read her note.

_How very perceptive of you. You've been watching me, huh?_

Seifer turned to look at her only to see that she had her chin propped in her hands, her elbows resting on the table and a daydreamer's face on. He chuckled to himself. Talk about a short attention span. Smoothing out the paper, he clicked his pen and wrote something else, the smirk on his face widening slightly. Finished, he rolled the paper up again and closed one eye, holding the ball in front of his face in concentration. With a heave, the paper ball sailed into the air…

…And hit Squall Leonhart square in the eye.

Seifer stared, stunned, for a moment. One thought ran through his mind: _Wow. I have _really_ bad aim. Hahahaha. _With that, the blonde in the grey trench coat shook violently in amusement at the bewildered look on the stone lion's face as he clutched his targeted eye, Rinoa's own widening in surprise. Squall lowered his hand and his glare immediately pinned down Seifer, who merely smiled innocently. 'Oops!', he mouthed, before dissolving into another fit of shaking.

Slowly, the chestnut-haired teenager grabbed the paper ball and was about to give Seifer a taste of his own medicine when a larger hand grabbed the object from his own. Mr. Freeman. Rinoa paled even more as the green-eyed instructor frowned, placing a hand on Squall's desk. Seifer's shaking merely increased tenfold.

"What have we here, Mr. Leonhart? Not paying attention, are we?" Squall merely shrugged and slumped in his seat carelessly, his grey eyes flashing in annoyance. Rinoa immediately felt bad even though it technically wasn't her fault, but her attention wavered as Mr. Freeman unraveled the ball. "Let's see what you have to say to the class.

_"You look bored. How very perceptive of you. You've been watching me, huh? Well, yes, I think you're a strange person. I like watching you, sexy." _Rinoa whirled in her seat and stared in surprise at Seifer, who shook some more, winking at her teasingly. She couldn't help but smile; his mood was contagious. She could tell straight away that he was only joking with her, too. She stuck her tongue out at him, promising to get him back.

"Well, Mr. Leonhart, I didn't know you thought Mr. Almasy was 'sexy'," Mr. Freeman spoke aloud, using his fingers to quote the last word. The class erupted into laughter as Squall fumed and Seifer roared above the other students. Rinoa watched the expression in Squall's eyes, and she really felt bad. He didn't deserve that!

"Seifer and I were the ones passing notes in class, Vincent." The laughter stopped immediately. Rinoa could feel her face flaming in the dead silence, but she continued to lock gazes with the instructor, whose friendly appearance remained.

"Well, that changes things a bit! Thank you for clearing this up, Miss Heartilly. I trust that next time, you'll pay more attention. As my star student, you must set an example!" Rinoa's face burned a deeper crimson, ducking her head at the irony of it all as the black-haired man strode back to the front of the room, dumping the note in the trashcan.

Picking up the lesson book, he continued on, even though most of the students were looking back up at the three teenagers curiously. Seifer waved to get Rinoa's attention and she noted he was still smirking.

'You saved Puberty Boy's ass. Why?'

'He didn't deserve it! I just thought it was the right thing to do.' Seifer froze for a moment, his emerald eyes widening as some sort of realization took over him. Then, he slowly shook his head in amusement, mouthing one last thing before facing the front of the class once more.

'Your compassion for that bastard is gonna ruin you someday.'

Rinoa didn't understand the meaning of his words, but shrugged it off, deciding he was just joking with her again. Smiling, she picked up her pencil and started doodling once more, glad to have made another friend.

The minutes passed by without any more dramatic shows by Seifer, and when the bell rang, he saluted her once more before exiting, disappearing in the crowd of students. As Rinoa headed for the door, she saw Squall and ran faster to catch up to him. She managed to grab the fur on his crop jacket and he stumbled backwards before steadying himself and turning around. Seeing her, he crossed his arms patiently as she smiled at him weakly.

"Hey, I just wanted to say that I'm sorry about that paper ball. Seifer really did mean to send it to me. I guess he has bad aim or something!"

"I doubt it was an accident," Squall muttered darkly, but Rinoa could sense there was something more deep beneath the subtle words. There was a moment of uncomfortable silence and then Rinoa locked her hands behind her back in a friendly gesture and smiled.

"Well, thanks for saving me earlier in class, today. I have no clue why even I'm in this class! It's all my stupid father's fault." She sighed and ran a hand through her straight locks. Squall raised a brow and uncrossed his arms, shifting to one side.

"So you hate your father as well, huh? That makes two of us," he murmured, a faraway look in his grey eyes. His eyes shook slightly and he looked back down at Rinoa, who tilted her head to the side cutely, her cinnamon eyes warm. "Anyway, you're welcome. Thanks for later in class when…you know," Squall mumbled, a small pout forming on his handsome features as he recalled the embarrassing incident. He scratched his head to hide his embarrassment and Rinoa giggled, shaking her head.

"It's alright. You didn't deserve that." Right now, Rinoa wondered why she'd even thought he was a cold person. He seemed pretty human talking to her right now. "Well, I better get to class. Maybe I'll see you later?" she asked, adjusting her hold on her blue backpack.

"Yeah, I'll see you later…?

"It's Rinoa. Rinoa Heartilly. Don't forget!" Without stopping to think, Rinoa tapped him on the nose for good measure and couldn't help but giggle when he gave her another weird look before slowly walking off into another direction. She giggled again, wondering why she was acting so strange, but shrugged it off and headed to fifth period, her spirits merry. She would see Selphie again next period.

**…**

Seifer Almasy strolled down the hallways of Balamb High School, Fujin and Raijin marching on either side of him casually. The silver-haired woman shifted her amber gaze towards Seifer, who had a concentrated look on his face. She then glanced at Raijin who was gossiping loudly as usual, and being ignored by the other two as usual.

"And I can't believe that _Zell_ is going out with _Amie_, ya know! That is like the weirdest couple ever, ya know? I think Zell would go better with—"

"RAIJIN HUSH. SEIFER THINKING." Fujin kicked her comrade hard in the shin, scoffing as he wailed horribly, frightening some passersby. After regaining his composure, he sniffed and strutted, limping slightly, his expression sulky.

"You're so mean to me, Fujin, ya know?" The teenager in the eye patch decided to ignore her friend's mumbling and she loyally followed Seifer to his locker. The thoughtful look in Seifer's eyes was gone and so Fujin decided to ask.

"SEIFER THINKING?"

The blonde gunblade specialist glanced at the girl and hesitated before grabbing some books and slamming his locker door. "Yeah, I was. I met this girl in my class last period. There's something…odd about her." He paused and then shook his head, his emerald eyes narrowing into slits. "Forget it, I must've been imagining things."

"SEIFER TELL FUJIN ANYWAY." The commanding tone in the platinum-haired girl's voice did not go unnoticed by Seifer. He sighed and continued trekking down the hall, Fujin and Raijin following suit.

"I don't know. We were talking during class, and when she mouthed something to me…I could've sworn I heard her voice in my head."

"YOU THINK GIRL SORCERESS?"

"Maybe, or maybe she has some sort of psychic powers like…" Seifer stopped and his expression turned angry and he shook his head. Fujin nodded sympathetically, patting him on the back with a gloved hand.

"UNDERSTOOD."

A/N- Before you freak out on me, this is going to be a Squinoa and eventual Seiftis. Rinoa and Seifer are just on good terms with each other, nothing more. Besides, Seifer and Quistis together is just kick-ass, no? Anyways, I'm getting into this story, so encourage me by reviewing, my loyal readers!

**Moshi**** Moshi Mai**


	6. The Little Things

**A/N –** I know I've been saying this every chapter, but I'm sorry it's taking so long to update. I really want to get this story going. Heck, poor Rinoa's not even finished with her first day at school, and the plot has only unfolded just a bit. So in this chapter, I'll hint a bit at the reason for the tension between Seifer and Squall. Maybe some people will start to understand…Oh well, whatever. This is a sort of intermission from Rinoa's first day at school since I didn't want to continue on and just leave it as a side story thing. Enjoy?

**.:Blue Stars:.**

**Chapter Six: **The Little Things

_Today was his birthday. He was finally 13. And yet, he didn't feel any different. _Should I? _he_ _wondered. The young boy walked down the halls of the Presidential Palace in Esthar, used to the advanced technology flying by the transparent walls. He felt the same as yesterday. Should he feel like a man? Today was the day he'd start training to work for his father, so he should. And yet he didn't. Not at all. Shrugging it off, the brown-haired preteen strolled into his father's office, greeted by a silent Ward and smiling Kiros. _

"_Father."_

_The black chair twirled around and Laguna Loire grinned down at his son. He was wearing the usual easygoing outfit: a teal work shirt and beige slacks that did not seem orthodox for someone of such high stature. _

"_Squall, my boy!_ _Happy birthday!" Laguna cheered. "Happy birthday to you, happy birthday to you, happy birthday dear Squall, happy birthday to you!" Silence. Kiros covered his mouth to hide a laugh and Ward just stared at the president, shaking his head. _

"_Whatever. I'm supposed to start training today, aren't I?" _

"_Aw, so you're saying you don't want to celebrate your birthday?" the president asked, looking like a kicked puppy. Squall sighed in annoyance and crossed his arms. Sometimes he felt like he was the father and Laguna was his son. _

"_No, there's nothing to celebrate. So I'm a year older. So what?" _

_Laguna scratched his head awkwardly. _Why did I end up having such an aloof son? _he_ _wondered sadly to himself. Nevertheless, the President of Esthar chuckled and flashed Squall a charming smile, one that was not returned. _

"_Well, happy birthday anyway, son."_

"_Whatever." _

_At that moment, the doors behind Squall burst open and a girl who looked in her late teens bounced into the room, a cheery smile on her pretty face. Her short brown hair gently bobbed up and down, and her cinnamon eyes searched the room quickly before they landed on Squall. Before the boy could react, she had her slender arms wrapped firmly around his neck, pushing him up against her in a tight embrace._

"_Happy birthday, Squall!" she cheered loudly into his ears, laughing. Pulling away but still trapping him within her arms, the girl pulled back, a goofy smile on her face. "You're a big boy now, aren't you?" _

_Squall rolled his blue-grey eyes, but a small smile formed on his face, one that did not go unnoticed by a suddenly hurt father. "Thanks, Ellone." _

"_Hey, it's my little brother's birthday. It's the least I can do! Seriously! We have to go out and walk around Esthar today! I'll buy you whatever you want," Ellone chirped up, absently tucking a stray strand of chestnut hair behind her ear. _

"_You don't need to do that, Sis. Besides, I have to start training today, now that I'm of age." Ellone rolled her eyes and waved her hand dismissively, the sash around her waist slipping slightly. _

"_Pish posh!_ _That can wait until _after _your birthday, can't it? Besides, don't you want to celebrate with me?" _

"_Well…"_

"_Well?" Ellone whispered, a soft smile forming on her face._

"…_.Alright. Fine. Let's go," Squall answered softly, heading out the door without waiting for her to follow. Ellone clapped excitedly and turned to face Laguna, who had a depressed look on his face._

"_What's wrong, Daddy?" Laguna looked surprised for a minute and a sheepish smile appeared on his face. He shook his head and laughed._

"_It's nothing, honey. Have fun with Squall, alright? Make sure you buy him something special." Of course, the teenager didn't buy what her father said for an instant, but she decided to let it pass, smiling. _

"_You got it, Pops!" Ellone replied, waving to the room before heading out. _

_Running down the clean halls, Ellone Loire appeared by her brother's side, startling him slightly. "So, do you have any idea what you want?"_

"I don't need anything really, Sis…"

"_Aw, c'mon!" the brunette prodded as they exited the entrance and headed onto the transportation device. "There must be something you've always wanted…" _

"…_Not really."_ _Ellone rolled her eyes and crossed her arms as the scenery flashed quickly bye._

"_Why can't you be like a normal boy and want video games or a car or something like that?" she muttered to herself as the transport came to an abrupt halt. Squall shrugged carelessly and stepped off, walking into the mall situated near the front of the city. _

_The mall in Esthar was jam-packed with citizens flouncing about busily and venders shouting out persuasively to potential buyers. Squall looked about carelessly, his grey eyes searching stores with their flashy signs and animated holographs. His cool gaze landed on a weapons store and he began walking toward it, Ellone following suit with a confused look on her face. _

_Squall's eyes landed on a long sword displayed in the showcase window. The light beaming down on the sword cast a heavenly glow upon it, accentuating the sharpness of the blade. A trigger with its obsidian barrel was attached near the handle of the sword, and Squall stared in wonder. He couldn't take his eyes off of it. _

"_You like this gunblade, young man?" Startled, the thirteen-year-old turned around to face a middle-aged man with a kind smile on his face. When he didn't reply, the man chuckled and scratched his slightly balding head, his glasses drooping slightly. "I see you're the strong and silent type of warrior. Why don't you come in and look around? I'm sure you'll like something." _

_Squall glanced at Ellone who nodded before proceeding into the store. It was littered with different assortments of gleaming weapons, each with their own aura of power. Accessories lined the shelves: bracelets, charms, necklaces, rings…Something caught his eye and he turned to face it, feeling his heart beating loudly in his chest. _

_Gunblades._ _There were so many of them, shining silver and black. He approached and gently ran his fingers over the cool surface of one that seemed to emanate a blue glow. "You really like gunblades, don't you?" the owner of the store asked, lifting the blue gunblade off of the rack._

"_Yes…they're very nice…" Squall replied lamely, looking to the side. The man chuckled and swung the sword gently, smiling as Squall's observant eyes followed it. _

"_You know…not many people use gunblades anymore. It's rare for someone to pick up this weapon. If you want to learn how to wield a gunblade, it'll be hard for you to find a teacher." A determined look appeared on the handsome boy's face._

"_I can teach myself." The man chuckled and handed the weapon over to Squall, who carefully gripped the handle, feeling a pulse vibrate from the sword as he held it. _

"_This one's called the Lion Heart. It's a bit too advanced for a beginner. In fact, it's the only one in the whole world. Quite the gunblade, though."_

"_How much is it?" Ellone interrupted, taking out a credit card. She knew Squall wanted this gunblade. It was the way his eyes lighted up a little, the way his lips set in a straight line of determination, and the powerful vibe he gave off by just holding the sword. _

"_I'm sorry, but it's not for sale as of now." Ellone frowned. Squall's gaze drifted slowly to the storekeeper impassively._

"_Uh, why not, sir?"_

"_Well for starters, this young man is a beginner. I can't sell it to you yet. It's one of the rules of weaponry established by the Gardens of this world."_

"_But I'm not going to any Garden," Squall said impassively, staring at the owner silently._

"_Well then, why are you taking up a weapon, son?"_

"…"

_The owner's aged face smiled kindly down at the reluctant look on the young boy's face. He kneeled down and gently placed a hand on Squall's shoulder, who looked at him hesitantly._

"_If it's for a reason that I shouldn't know, fine._ _But I still can't sell the Lion Heart to you. At least, not yet. You can begin with the basics. Here." Standing back up, the owner lifted a plainer gunblade from the stand. It had a black grip and the grey steel flashed brilliantly. Squall eyed it warily and took it in his hands. He almost fell to the floor._

"…_It's…heavy…" The owner chuckled and nodded._

"_Of course it is! Gunblades get lighter as you gain more experience. You have to build up strength, stamina, and spirit first." _

_Squall swung the weapon carefully back and forth, feeling the joint in his shoulder being pulled forward. _

"_You know…" the middle-aged man started, "if you really want to master the gunblade, you should go to Balamb_ _Garden. That's one of the best military school's in the world. But first you'd have to go to Balamb_ _High School, and after you graduate, take the entrance exam to Balamb_ _Garden."_

_Squall stopped swinging the blade and looked thoughtful for a minute. _If I go to Balamb and learn to master the gunblade, I'll do better on the jobs father will give me. _The brown-haired preteen nodded at the owner. "I'll do it." The man's wrinkled face grinned and he shook Squall's hand firmly._

"_That's splendid to hear. I'll look forward to seeing you at Balamb_ _Garden." When Squall gave him a questioning look, the man chuckled. "My name is Cid Kramer. I'm the Headmaster at Balamb_ _Garden. I recruit potential soldiers around the world in my shops, and I think you'd be a great mercenary, young man." _

"_Mercenary…" Squall spoke quietly. Ellone frowned and pulled her younger brother aside, whispering in his ear. _

"_You know you're working for Pops in the future, and not for this Kramer guy, right?" Blue-grey eyes locked with chocolate brown calmly._

"_Of course, but I think I could improve myself if I go to Balamb_ _Garden." Ellone looked skeptical, but reluctantly sighed, giving in._

"_Alright._ _I'm sure Pops won't mind…" _

__

_An hour later, the duo walked out of the weaponry store, Squall delicately holding his new and customized gunblade in the leather gloves that Cid suggested he buy. An ornate carving of a lion was etched into the blade, and a heavy chain dangled from the handle of the sword, the same lion glaring menacingly from the chain. _

"_I'm sorry I couldn't get you that Lion Heart thing," Ellone said apologetically, ruffling his chestnut hair playfully. Squall moved to the side, avoiding her hands and shrugged._

"_It's alright, Sis. I'll get that weapon once I learn how to master this." His sister smiled, nodding and the siblings made their way back to the Presidential Palace. _

"_Well, well, well, if it isn't Puberty Boy!" The duo stopped in their tracks, both of them rolling their eyes. Seifer appeared in front of them, a lazy smirk on his face as he mock-saluted Ellone. His gaze slithered over to Squall and his grin widened as he eyed the gunblade. "So, you're taking up the gunblade as well, eh?" _

"_What are you talking about?" Something dark caught Squall's attention and his gaze drifted to a long and sharp object in Seifer's grasp. It was a gunblade, except it was black all around, reflecting no light except for the outline, which was silver. _

_Seifer's_ _smirk deepened and he raised the gunblade in front of himself and pointed it at Squall. "You like? I call it Hyperion. What do you say we try out our weapons to see who's better?" _

"_Seifer, I don't think that's a good idea," Ellone interjected, shaking her head. The blonde boy playfully pouted, directing his fierce gaze to the girl._

"_Aw c'mon, Ellone._ _Have some spirit! Besides, I promise I won't beat up Puberty Boy too bad." Ellone sighed and crossed her pale arms, frowning._

"_No means no, Seifer._ _Shouldn't you be meeting up with Laguna? You just turned thirteen as well." Seifer snorted and placed his gunblade on his shoulder, absently bouncing it up and down._

"_That goofball of a president can wait a little longer. Besides, I want to duel with Puberty Boy."_

"_I don't want to fight you, Seifer," Squall hissed quietly, growing annoyed of the blonde's presence._

"_Aww, what._ _Are you afraid I'll humiliate you, or are you afraid that your sister will try to stop you with those powers you're so afraid of?" Squall tensed and a hurt look appeared in Ellone's eyes as she looked to the side, pretending not to hear Seifer's harsh words. _

_Squall scowled in response and readied his gunblade, his eyes narrowing to slits. _I'm not afraid of her powers. He's wrong. He's _wrong._

"I'll take you on, Seifer."

"_Squall-"_

"_Sis."_ _At the glare Squall sent her, the brunette closed her mouth and sighed. She had a bad feeling about this…_

_Seifer_ _smirked and leaned back, outstretching his free hand and motioning Squall to come forward. "Then let's dance!" _

_As the two rivals clashed their blades for the first time, they didn't notice the figure lurking in the shadows with an amused smile on their face. "Powers, he says? Very interesting…" Without a sound the mysterious person disappeared, a plan formulating in their mind. _

**A/N – **I guess I'll end it here. I'll try making the next chapter longer and hopefully I can update sooner but I can't guarantee anything. Sorry. Dx

**Moshi** **Moshi Mai **


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